Silence of Scarlett
by AwesomeTrinket
Summary: Charlotte, now called Scarlett, was abandoned by her old Summoner and left to die, when she wakes up in a new life with a new Summoner. Something changed her, she realized, as she attempts to go through her new life, silent and unwilling to open up. As she lives new events and sees new sights, Scarlett is left with time to listen to the question in her head: "What happened to me?"
1. Prologue

_HI! I'm getting back into writing! My birthday's on September the 13_ _th_ _! I'm so happy for that!_

 _Who is Scarlett, you may ask? Well, Scarlett's going to be what I call my Dupe Charlotte if and when I get her on my birthday summons! I want a dupe Charlotte so I could name her Scarlett and test out a Fatal build on her! Scarlett can also be Beach Girl, because Charlotte's a sleepy cinnamon roll! she's so cuteohmahgawwwwwd_

* * *

 **Summary:** A monster named Charlotte is brought to the Aiden Forest, thinking she was just out to do a regular clearing of the forest. This is soon proven wrong, though.

* * *

"Ooh! Are we going to do some Aiden again, Summoner Enigma?" Charlotte's eyes, the color of emeralds, sparkled bright under the moonlight. Her Summoner, a boy with black hair, speckled with grey and red glowing eyes, balled up his fists. The mere sound of her high-pitched voice running seventy words a second made him want to throw up and punch her at the same time. He kept his calm, though, because soon enough he was going to get rid of her once and for all.

 _No more headaches at last,_ Enigma thought to himself, letting out a breath silently. _I'm getting rid of this stupid girl and her annoying habits._

"Summoner Enigmaaa? Helloooo?" Her pigtails – the same color as her eyes – bounced with every impatient step as Charlotte awaited an answer. Enigma sighed, realizing he was going to have to answer. Enigma remembered how if he didn't she would become even more annoying than before. Habit took over, and he just answered anyway.

"Yeah. You're going to do some Aiden." He grunted, nodding a little. This perked up the girl even further, and he was afraid that she was going to start talking again. His fear was confirmed, and she began jabbering some utter nonsense. Enigma hated her, but he told himself to just wait it out, he wouldn't have to put up with her anytime soon.

Their journey came to an end at the heart of the forest. The moon barely shone there, and the already dead trees were since gone, leading to a clearing. Charlotte looked around, realizing this was the heart. She usually only fought the monsters at the outskirts of the forest.

"Hmmm? We're at the heart of the forest. That's weird. You got any explanation for this? Ooh! Are we going to fight whatever monster's in the forest up here? That's awesome!" Charlotte turned to her Summoner.

"Shut up already." Enigma harshly snapped towards her. This was the first time he had spoken rudely at Charlotte, and she was taken aback. Her eyes widened.

"…I'm sorry?" She asked, speechless for the first time in her life. Enigma yanked her over by the pigtail before throwing her to the ground. Charlotte's umbrella fell out of her hand, clattering to the grass. Enigma kicked it away, towering over her. Charlotte trembled as a shadow passed over his face.

"I'm _sick_ of you, Charlotte! You talk so damn much, it's like you never give us a minute of silence!" He already hated any Occult Girl that wasn't Anavel, and Charlotte talking so much as the last straw for him. He pulled her up by the pigtail again. The girl tried to fight back, but eventually he had a firm grasp on what he sought – her runes. When he first got her, he decided he would try and give her a chance, invest a few runes into her, but he hated himself for thinking he could ever use her anywhere.

Without any mana, he ripped the first rune out of her rune slots – a Violent rune. Pain shot through her body, and she screamed out. It was a horrible, burning feeling, making her entire body tremble. She tried fighting back again, to do anything to get away from the psychopath, but he easily overpowered her and tore the second rune out, a Blade rune. Charlotte threw up from the pain, though only blood came out. She knew she was going to have to endure it four more times, but she kicked and clawed, even though she knew it was futile.

In one hand, Enigma held six runes, altogether forming a set of Violent and Blade. Charlotte laid on the ground, barely alive. The pain had since gotten to her, and she couldn't move; her whole body sore. Knowing she wouldn't be running or fighting back anytime soon, he turned and left the forest, chuckling. He wasn't going to have any more headaches now, and he would finally be rid of the worst monster he ever knew.

Charlotte laid there for what felt like hours, waiting for the pain to subside. Eventually, the waves of pain that swept her body faded away, leaving her sore in the back of her neck, but she could finally move. She lifted her head, looking around. The forest was completely silent – save for her breathing. The girl twisted and turned her body, but finally managed to sit up.

She knew that there was no way she would be able to return to her old life, so now all she could do was hope that she could fight whatever she came across, though this was going to be even more difficult, now that she had no runes in her. Charlotte stood up. Her umbrella was gone, nowhere in sight. There was nothing she could do but keep walking.

The clearing laid in front of her, seeming to extend for what felt like miles. The moon was reflected in the lake at the middle of the clearing, a pool of white in a pool of darkness; how fitting, Charlotte thought to herself. To the right of her was a darker part of the forest, covered by the decaying claws that were once trees.

As she took a step, she could hear a loud cracking noise in the forest. The girl jumped, stuttering out a "who's there?" The glint of a mace could be seen, tearing down the corpses in its path. Out came a hooded being, wearing dark blue armor, carrying the mace in one hand. His armor was adorned with blue jewels and menacing spikes. His face was completely shadowed by darkness, leaving only a black pit. Charlotte knew what monster she was face-to-face with; the water Death Knight, Fedora.

"P-please, help me, sir, my Summoner just abandoned me…" She started, hoping that Fedora was friendly. He glared at her from behind the darkness of his hood, before answering in a deep, menacing voice.

"We don't take kindly to visitors." He swung his mace twice at her, before kicking Charlotte down. She fell like a ragdoll, and scrambled back up to her feet. That answered that question, Charlotte would have thought to herself. She made a run for it, though she had nowhere to hide. She could hear Fedora chasing after her; and for a moment, she thought to herself, _This is how I die. Not in battle, but hours after being abandoned by my Summoner._

Her foot caught on something, and she went flying in the air. Instead of the sharp blades of grass greeting her, the ground sank under her weight, pulling her under. A freezing feeling rushed across her body, and muffled splashing noises could be heard. Charlotte couldn't breathe, nor could she swim. She looked up. The moon danced across her eyes in the rippling water, before being shadowed by Fedora. He could see her drowning, and he wasn't going to save her anytime soon. For all he cared, she was just an intruder to his world.

 _I'm sorry, Enigma…_ Charlotte thought, as a peaceful feeling rushed through her, numbing the cold. Suddenly she didn't mind dying. Her eyes fluttered, heart slowing down from panicked crashing. At least she had a good run, even if her ending was sad. Charlotte just wished she could have known Enigma hated how she always talked to him, thinking that she was just being friendly. Her eyes closed, letting the comforting cold surround her.

 _Goodbye, Fedora, Hwa, Velajuel, Verdehile…_

 _…Goodbye, Enigma._


	2. Chapter 1 - Waking Up

_Long ago, a wise man (aka my friend) asked me, "What monster would you not mind having a dupe of?" I replied with "Charlotte. She's the best monster ever, has a third skill that decreases attack bars, and I can nickname my second Charlotte Scarlett."_

 _Did you think that Scarlett died in the prologue? THINK AGAIN._

 _…or maybe she did. I'm honestly unsure myself. I just write as I go along or think of a good idea._

* * *

 **Summary:** Charlotte, now nicknamed Scarlett, wakes up in a strange room, with no recollection of what happened after drowning, only to learn she had been summoned. Something had happened to her to change her, she realized, when she found out loud noises now hurt and she didn't want to talk anymore.

* * *

 **Chapter One  
** **Waking Up**

 _"- !"  
_ _"Do not worry…you are simply being summoned…"  
_ _"…"  
_ _"…By a girl, one I hold very dear to me…"  
_ _"…I see."  
_ _"I guess this is goodbye, Charlotte."  
_ _"Not goodbye."  
_ _"…?"  
_ _"Just see you soon."_

Static hummed in Charlotte's brain, before she slowly drifted out of a dream world and into reality. It was a comfortable feeling, only to be snapped out of it, leaving her delirious. Her senses came back to her, and she opened her eyes slowly. It wasn't nearly as bright as she expected, though it still burned. Charlotte rolled over, now finally able to focus and see what happened to her.

She was in a warm, friendly and inviting room, a bedside dresser to the right of her bed. There was something folded up and placed on the flat white surface, probably gathering dust. Charlotte looked down, and could see that she was in a nightgown of sorts. The silence wasn't deafening; if anything, it was peaceful, and helped her to focus her thoughts.

The silence was soon broken from the sound of the door creaking. Charlotte sat up, turning to the left, where two faces greeted her. One was of a kind woman with red hair; her face gently aged but still young enough to make Charlotte believe that she was in her early thirties. She wore a red and white dress, a small pinkish crown on top of her head. In one hand was a staff with a cross on top of it, a soft pink glow emitted from the cross. The other was hiding behind this woman, but Charlotte could make out green hair, tied into pigtails.

"Good morning, Scarlett." The woman said to her. Her voice was like music; soft and gentle. _Why did she call me Scarlett?_ Charlotte asked herself. None of these words escaped from her head, though. Her face must have asked an unheard question, as the woman went on.

"You were summoned unconscious, and our Summoner, Sara, brought you here." She explained. "You were out for fifteen days, and we visited you every day since."

The woman introduced herself as Chloe, and soon enough, the reason why Charlotte was being called Scarlett revealed herself. A little girl came out from hiding behind Chloe, with large green eyes and hair of a similar color, tied up into curly pigtails. She wore a mostly tan and white dress, sleeveless and the skirt coming down halfway to her thighs. Her legs were covered by black and tan Victorian stockings, both of which different from one another. In one hand she held an umbrella, closed up and tied with a bow. It was an Occult Girl; in fact, it was another Charlotte.

"Hi!" This Charlotte greeted; a smile curled across her face. "I-I'm Charlotte! You must be the other Charlotte; a-although Sara's been calling you Scarlett! I think i-it's kinda cute!" Scarlett couldn't help but be charmed by her enthusiasm; it reminded her of herself during her life with…

 _No._ She shook her head to clear her mind of the bad thoughts, like a dog trying to shake water off of its fur. _I will not burden myself with Enigma anymore._ Charlotte noticed and tilted her head.

"I-is there something wrong, Scarlett?" She asked. She gave Charlotte a small and weak smile in return, and shook her head.

"Where am I?" Scarlett asked; the first words she said since waking up. Her voice was no longer using the happy, peppy tone that Charlotte was using; instead quiet and emotionless; never once faltering. It was the kind of voice someone used when life finally got to them and made the future look hopeless, and they were truly, sincerely broken.

"You are in a small town near Garen Forest." Chloe smiled kindly. Her bright blue eyes had a gleam to them as it caught the light overhead. Scarlett was unsure if Chloes had red or blue eyes, but frankly; this Chloe's eyes were very pretty. Scarlett liked her. "We are all close friends with everyone here, and they could treat you in ways we could not."

"I see." Scarlett nodded.

"Can you stand on your own?"

"Yes, I can. Thank you for worrying." She swung her legs to the edge of the bed and attempted to support her weight on them. Scarlett stumbled a little, and instantly Chloe was at her side, holding one hand to keep her up. Scarlett's legs were bare, as were her feet. Charlotte smiled sweetly at her.

"Come on! We'll show you around!" Scarlett's head was pounding all of a sudden. Why was it doing that? Charlotte was loud, Scarlett realized; too loud, even. It made her ears hurt.

"…You're loud." Scarlett said blankly. "I don't like loud."

"O-oh, I'm sorry…" Her voice dropped, to the point where Scarlett felt…normal, again. Her headache went away once Charlotte calmed down. Charlotte looked almost ashamed of herself, like she should have somehow known that this would have hurt Scarlett. In reality, not even Scarlett herself knew that this would've hurt; it never did before she was abandoned. She felt sympathy for the girl, and knew that she had to reassure her it wasn't her fault.

"It's alright, Charlotte." Scarlett told her. She wanted to say more, but didn't for some reason.

"Would you like to come to the island with us once you are dressed?" Chloe asked. "There is a dress that Charlotte made for you on the nightstand." Charlotte nodded.

"I think you'd like it!" She smiled at Scarlett. They were all being kind to her, and it made her wonder if they were all just putting on a face, like Enigma was. She kept it to herself and smiled back at Charlotte.

"Thank you. I will join you in a few minutes." Chloe nodded, taking this as their cue. She walked over to Charlotte and gently took her hand, leading her out the door and closing it behind her; leaving Scarlett alone to reflect on her thoughts. Chloe acted like a mother, and a part of Scarlett seemed happy that she was going to live with such a kind person.

She turned to the nightstand, where the folded up dress greeted her again. Scarlett unraveled it to look at it in the light. It was a pale tan color, and three stripes, a burnt orange, snaked across the fabric; one near the shoulders, one near the waist, and one on the skirt. It was long and flowing, the sleeves coming down a little over her wrists and the skirt stopping at her ankles. It was obvious Charlotte had spent a lot of time and care on making it.

Scarlett soon found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror. She almost looked…nice; pretty, even. The dress had fit her perfectly, and her hair was kept loose, ending at her waist. She didn't feel like tying them up into pigtails; it reminded her of her old life. This was a chance to start anew, and she would not be held down with fragments of her past. What did she think of her new image?

* _I look older.*_ Scarlett told herself. * _Nothing else.*_ With that, the girl turned back to where the two monsters had left and followed after them, opening the door to the town in Garen Forest.

Light assaulted her eyes, temporarily leaving her blind before they could adjust to the change in light. When the white faded away, she found herself standing on a cobblestone path, leading to the house that she had woken up in. The sun was warm on her face, which felt nice when the last thing you remember is dying in a freezing pool of water. "GENERAL CARE WARD," the sign in front of her read. It was a hospital, then.

Monsters entered and exited houses and buildings. Scarlett could make out a blue horse trotting down the road, a brilliant white horn on its forehead; before it stopped all of a sudden, staring at the sign on a building. "No animals allowed." There was a flash of light as feathers fluttered onto the ground, and the horse became a girl with white hair and a horn peeking out of her hair; a blue gown flowing down to her ankles. The source of the feathers soon became obvious, as a pair of wings opened up on her back and she continued on her path, entering what looked like a café. Chloe and Charlotte were a few yards away, talking to someone. It became clear to her that they hadn't noticed her yet.

"Scarlett's finally woken up!" Charlotte announced. As Scarlett's eyes focused, she was able to see who the two were talking to. A woman stood in front of them, proud and tall, clutching a long, thin sword that seemed to radiate with the power of darkness. Her eyes were a bright red, the color of blood, and her purple hair was swept over one eye and tied up into a low-hanging ponytail. The woman's hair was a stark contrast against her unusually pale skin, mostly hidden by armor as dark as the ball of energy that lazily floated over her free hand.

"Thank you for taking her in on such a short notice, Lanett." Chloe thanked the woman. "We didn't know what to do, as a monster had never been summoned unconscious before on our island."

"It is not a problem. I am glad to help the monsters who took on the responsibility of Sister Lapis…" Lanett replied, before turning the subject to their island life. "Speaking of her, how has Sister Lapis been?"

"She's doing better! I helped her pick flowers for Frigate today! I think she likes him!" Charlotte smiled. Scarlett would later learn that this Lapis was a Magic Knight that had snapped one day and started to drain the energy from her younger sister, Iris, to grow stronger. She would have completely absorbed the girl's life force, had Lanett not found her in Mt. Siz. Their Summoner, Sara, had decided to take Lapis in to help her regain her sanity once more.

"Is that so?" Lanett felt a smile creep across her face at the thought of her half-sister doing much better than she ever expected her to: when she found her, she was gleefully cackling at the thought of her sister growing weaker and weaker as she absorbed more of her magic and energy and Lanett was forced to use Gravity Shot on her to temporarily immobilize her; "It's not like her to be so caring and compassionate…I think your help is doing far more than you think, dear Charlotte."

Scarlett felt awkward as the three happily conversed with each other; she didn't know anything about their life and couldn't chime in. She was the odd one out, the one who didn't belong. Finally, Lanett noticed the girl standing there and turned to her. Lanett studied her features and her posture for a moment, before smiling.

"Greetings. I am Lanett; the dark Magic Knight." She began. Her voice was like Scarlett's; unfaltering and quiet, rarely revealing her emotions. She instantly liked Lanett. She was not loud. She did not hurt her ears. "I believe you are the Scarlett that Chloe and Charlotte have been telling me about all this time?"

"Yes, ma'am." Scarlett nodded once.

"You are a beautiful young lady, you know?" Lanett complimented, leaving a strange feeling in Scarlett. She didn't know how to describe it, but it was nothing positive; soon she felt as if Lanett were being false. She took it anyway, pretending that nothing was wrong.

"Thank you, Lanett." Scarlett replied.

"Charlotte was just telling me about how she couldn't wait to be your best friend." Charlotte nodded in agreement. "Whenever you are ready, they will take you to your new home."

"You will also be training with Lanett once Sara has some runes in you." Chloe chimed in. Scarlett nodded, indicating she heard.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Chloe smiled kindly and reached out to her, as if to take her hand. Scarlett let her, and Charlotte hopped to her side.

"Come on, then!" Charlotte chirped, and with that, they started for the island in the sky.


	3. Chapter 2 - Broken Soul

_On September the 13th, it was my birthday. I had birthday summons ready. I got nothing yet, because it's September the 12th as I post this._

 _I gave myself a frickin' existential crisis during one part of this; which part you'll know when you see it. Do you know the things I do for you guys? It's a lot._

* * *

 **Summary:** Scarlett has distanced herself from everyone else living on the island, sure that she would never be able to make any friends ever. Little did she know that she already had a friend watching over her, and during a dream he decides to pay her a visit.

* * *

 **Chapter Two  
Broken Soul**

"Come on out to play, Scarlett!" Yeonhong laughed. Her words, although kind, made Scarlett's head pound, exactly why she kept herself locked in her room in the Arena Defense Tower. The island was too loud for her, and the silence in her room was the only thing keeping her sane.

On the day she woke up she was shown around the island, courtesy of Charlotte. It was certainly pretty; as their Summoner, Sara, had an eye for design, even if she wouldn't admit that her monsters were right. She wasn't as far up in progress as Enigma was, and this was obvious when you took a look at her monsters and her island; she had only crafted the GB10 statue and had six six-stars.

Nevertheless, it had a warm, friendly aura, as did Sara herself; she was incredibly kind to Scarlett. It felt refreshing to see a human be nice to her, after Enigma. She kept telling herself she wouldn't burden herself with the thought of him anymore, but she couldn't help but think back to him at times.

The monsters were all relatively nice to her. The only exceptions were Aegir and Frigate, though the latter was horribly drunk at the time ("Don't worry about him; he's always drunk," Sara told her,). She liked her new family, but she found it hard to join in on the fun.

"Don't let it get you down." Lapis had told her when she first saw Scarlett standing far away from everyone, watching them play a game. She knew what the girl was thinking, as she had thought of it many times before: _Why can't I be like the others and join in on the fun?_

"We all open up to others at our own pace. Some are instantly best friends with everyone, like Charlotte, and others are happier to be with themselves as their company; like you and me." She reassured as she leaned on the Arena Defense tower, sky-blue eyes watching everyone do their own thing.

Lapis didn't seem like the kind of person to do such a thing to Iris. She and Lanett seemed similar, in more than just appearance. The two sisters stood the exact same way, their hair both tied into ponytails, held a sword in one hand and a ball of energy in the other. Lapis merely had a blue color scheme while Lanett's color scheme was dark colors. They seemed to also have the exact same personality; kind but firm, ready to protect their home if needed.

"I suppose." Scarlett shrugged. Lapis was kind to her; she could never think of her as a wicked, corrupted girl who would drain the literal life force out of her own sister. Scarlett remembered something about most of the continent of Mystica being corrupted with dark energy all of a sudden when Sara was young.

The Council of Summoners said that the cause was a human/Nine-Tailed Fox hybrid named Lady Arang and a small group of Dark Magicians. She felt, however, that there was something else that had caused the corruption that the Council of Summoners wouldn't tell anyone. Oh well; it was just going to be one of the many mysteries that Scarlett was left to wonder about. She didn't expect answers for any of them, but answers would be nice.

Sara had two monsters on her island that she didn't "officially" own; Yeonhong and Chasun, both of which monsters from her parents, who never seemed to be around. Chasun was the older sister, 19 and absolutely crazy. Yeonhong, on the other hand, was about to turn 15 and while she was calmer, she still had her quirks.

For one thing, she was a talented artist but for the longest time only drew what Sara called "ship art." The only reason why she stopped was because she fell hopelessly in love with one of the monsters of one of Sara's two best friends; the monster in question was his Galleon. The only thing Yeonhong – or Yeon, as everyone called her – seemed to talk about nowadays was about Galleon.

"Scarleeeeett!" Yeon kept on pestering, pouting a little. "Come on! It's a beautiful day out and Sara doesn't have anything planned!" Scarlett sighed, sitting up in her bed. She realized that if she didn't respond then she would be nagged at possibly all day and her headache would progress to a migraine.

Scarlett pushed open the window. The glass gently swung outward before being stopped on the stone wall, without a crack or anything. A cool breeze whispered into her ears; saying things that no one understood. The girl was standing there, hat tipped down a little so it shaded her pink eyes. Her dress was a mix of white, pink and purple, flowing down to the grass.

"I'm sorry, Yeon, but I don't feel like it today." Scarlett told her. This didn't seem to go well with Yeon, because she made a strange face that looked like a cross between disappoint and irritation.

"You've said that all week, ever since you were summoned!" She huffed. Scarlett hadn't bothered to tell Sara that loud noises would make her head pound and her ears hurt; she didn't want to burden her with her quirk that made her a "special snowflake" that craved sympathy. She was like that to Enigma, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"I know, but I don't want to." With that, she closed the window and lay back down again, leaving Yeon defeated. Charlotte came up to her, having seen everything.

"Don't worry, Yeon." She smiled at the girl. "Scarlett will play with us when she chooses to. Don't rush her."

"I know." Yeon harrumphed. "She can't keep herself locked in there forever. But still; she's been so incredibly quiet I'm kinda scared that she _will_ keep herself locked in there forever."

It wasn't that Scarlett wasn't enjoying her new life on the island; far from it, actually. She liked watching monsters mill about and live their lives, although she wished she could join them. Every day for a few hours she would return to the town in Garen Forest to train with Lanett; who, as it turned out, was skilled in ways that Scarlett hadn't imagined.

She would watch as Lanett fired the ball of darkness in her hand at a testing dummy, before it opened up into what looked like a miniature black hole, dark lightning zapping from the depths of it. The dummy was instantly destroyed, and when the energy returned to her, what was once a scarecrow was simply a mess of straw and torn up fabric.

Scarlett would practice her own skills on test dummies after she got tired of watching Lanett demonstrate. It was a good way to get away from the continuous droning of the island for a little while, even if she wasn't that good; she didn't have a guardian angel yet. You see, Occult Girls were special; for their third skill they had a monster attack for them. This monster would be someone who had a special place in their hearts – in the case of Charlotte; she had her older brother, Eladriel.

Unfortunately for Scarlett, though, her training was over today, and it was back to her new reality. The only other way to temporarily escape was to sleep and hope she drifts back into that dreamy world that she was snapped out of when she first woke up in her new home.

Eventually she sat up again, after hours of being sleepless. It was night time, and everyone was finally asleep. The moonlight streamed in through her window, reminding her of that fateful day she was gotten rid of. No matter how many times she tried to forget and move on, it still nagged at her at the back of her head, telling her dark things.

 _Enigma didn't want you because of who you are._

 _Don't say a word or make a sound. One wrong move and Sara'll get rid of you too._

A hazy aura surrounded everything and a comfortable, floating feeling resided in the pit of Scarlett's stomach. While it was comfortable, it felt strange, like she should know this feeling. She had felt it once before, but couldn't remember where for the life of her. Now that the world was finally calm, she could take a moment to walk around the island and stretch her limbs.

The door squeaked quietly as she opened it up. She would really have to ask Sara to oil it sometime; maybe a few monsters after her summoning. She didn't want to sound ungrateful. In one hand she gripped the doorknob, a bright golden that was a start contrast against the dark oak door and a golden that caught the moonlight and reflected it back to her.

Scarlett walked silently down the hallway, where many monsters slept. Platy – or Saki, as Sara named her – slept in a giant aquarium that looked like an exhibit from an actual, human-world aquarium, Charger Sharks lazily milling about. Belladeon was curled up into a bundle of white and yellow fur at the foot of Veromos' bed, having become more of his pet than anyone else's.

Charlotte and Eladriel slept in the same room together; the archangel wrapping his arms around her as he dreamed of things only he and Charlotte knew. She was his little sister, despite them biologically being cousins; or so Scarlett was told. Eladriel was incredibly protective of her, and always said it was because they both "basically" had no family.

Doorway after doorway she passed, nearly all of which containing a sleeping monster or two. There was one room that was empty, and Scarlett didn't care to see who usually resided in that room. There was a birdcage of sorts, though it was empty. Other than that there wasn't really much to say about it, like her room; the only notable thing about it was that it had a door, though it was open. Apart from her room, she'd say it was the only one that had a door.

Finally, she descended down the spiraling staircase, where she was greeted by the door out of the Arena Defense tower and to the island. She pushed the double doors open with both hands. A path greeted her, created by blue and yellow trees that lined the way out and to the tower, and up ahead was the Energy Gateway.

The Surveillance Tower stood to the right of the Energy Gateway, high up enough that the two monsters that usually stood there, Chloe and Frigate, would be able to see anyone coming through the portal. The hazy aura surrounded everything she could see, from the trees to the blades of grass and even the island itself. It brought on a vague sense of motion sickness, but Scarlett ignored it the best she could walked the path to the island.

The moon stood bright; contrasting the black veil across the sky. The stars looked like tiny pinholes, poked to let the sunlight through. It was a beautiful sight. _It doesn't last, though._ Scarlett thought to herself. _Soon the beauty of nighttime fades away, becoming daytime. Rain, snow or sunlight could greet everyone._ It sent her down a strange train of thought.

 _The beauty of it all changes depending on the day, and then it'll be night again. Even that will change; the moon deciding it could be a pool of light, or a tiny knife in the sky._

 _The stars will move, becoming different constellations before changing back to what we saw before._

 _Everything's changing, but following the same pattern; day in, day out, driving people insane. Every moment is fleeting._

 _Our lives are all fleeting; we could be laughing and smiling one moment, fighting the next and then gone in the blink of an eye, nothing but a patient memory._

 _Our lives could be remembered for all eternity, good or bad, or we could be forgotten when everyone who knows us dies._

" _You've never changed, Scarlett…_ " A voice whispered in her head, calm and collected. She looked up, looking for the source of this voice. It was new, yet familiar; different but the same. She felt comforted just listening to the voice. Scarlett was not the girl she used to be, but she was not yet the woman who she will be at the same time.

A boy soon appeared, studying her features. His blonde hair was almost white, ruffled and tied into a thin braid at the back. He wore a kimono, white and red and a stark contrast against his fairly tanned skin. His eyes were beautiful, a bright green that shone brighter than any star in the sky, despite them being half-closed. He did not have the aura around him, unlike everything else. Scarlett smiled a little as she recognized this boy, even if she wasn't supposed to.

"Hello, Chiwu." She said to him. She knew that his bird was gone, had flown up and gone to be with his brothers, Woosa and Pungbaek. When was she told this? She didn't know.

" _Welcome back to the mirror dimension._ " He told her, holding her hand gently. To be honest, he hadn't expected her to recognize him. From what he had observed, she remembered nothing of what happened after her eyes closed for the last time with her life with Enigma.

"…" She said nothing, though he knew what questions she wanted to ask.

" _Your name is Charlotte Occulti, but your new Summoner calls you Scarlett._ " Chiwu told her. " _You died a year ago; drowning in the heart of Aiden Forest. Your spirit did not move in, and, like me, you found yourself in the mirror dimension._ "

Verdehile soon walked by, blonde hair smooth and perfect as always. His dark cape fanned behind him, passing by the two. Scarlett looked up and reached out to him, but as soon as her fingertips would have touched him, cracks in the air and her reflection appeared; distorted and warped. She jumped back, not expecting such a thing to happen.

" _Do not worry, Scarlett…_ " Chiwu told her. " _Only the Malicious Ones can break through and take the souls of the living."_ He looked up all of a sudden. It was becoming dawn. Where did the time go? Neither of them knew.

"I guess I have to go." Scarlett sighed. She didn't want to leave Chiwu. She liked him, and she didn't know if and when she'd be able to see him again. Chiwu sensed this and smiled.

" _You will, don't worry._ " He told her. " _It would be best if you left now, though, before everyone wonders where you went."_ Scarlett nodded and turned to leave. She looked back one last time before silently holding her hand up as a silent goodbye. Chiwu smiled, knowing that fate would bring them together again once more.

When Scarlett woke up she was back in bed, where she had been for most of yesterday. The sun was still about to rise, and she wondered for a moment if the boy she met was just a dream. Oh well. Just another question that she knew would never get an answer.


	4. Chapter 3 - Magical and Deathly Knights

* _OKAY, so it was my birthday for real on September the 13_ _th_ _. It was also then that I did birthday summons. I got Megan, Rina, Tanya, Racuni, and a lot of material to six-star stuff. I also got a wicked Summoner's War shirt.*_

 _*That day was a good day.*_

 _*I've developed something called "The Sis Code" because we have the Bro Code but not the Sis Code and that's utter bullcrap. I'm thinking about posting the Sis Code rules if I feel like it.*_

 ****Summary:**** Natalie, Lanett and Scarlett go to Aiden Forest to train and run into a certain Death Knight that was very familiar to Scarlett.

 ****Chapter Three**  
**Magical and Deathly Knights****

"Alright, guys;" Sara started one morning, "I want you all to meet Natalie. She's a light Assassin, and I just got her at this month's Hall of Heroes."

At her side was a woman standing on the Summoning Circle; her face Scarlett couldn't fully see. Her hair was a light blue and tied up into a high ponytail that swung freely; her eyes the same color. The rest of Natalie's face was covered up by a mask that concealed everything from the nose down. Her eyes showed a strict and serious expression; making her appear as the kind of person who doesn't take any slacking off, like a teacher.

She dressed in a white, sleeveless suit that went from her shoulders to her knee-high black boots. A belt snaked near her waist, holding many dangerous-looking daggers, one of which in Natalie's right hand; covered by a glove, as if she were afraid of getting her fingerprints on them. Perhaps it was wrong to judge a book by its cover, but if that were the case, Natalie was an interesting one; that was for sure.

"I've got quite a few ideas for her, so you're going to be seeing her around more often." Sara told the monsters gathering around. Scarlett could have sworn she heard her mutter to herself, "Unlike the other Hall of Heroes monsters I've gotten…"

Scarlett instantly liked her. As it turned out, she liked the quiet monsters; the ones who didn't hurt her ears, like Chiwu. She had seen the Chiwu from her dream many times since then; appearing in the mirror dimension only, even when she wasn't in the dimension with him.

Apparently, Occult Girls were also special. They were the only monsters who could see spirits from the mirror dimension without having to go through a near- or actual-death experience. Scarlett, of course, had actually died once, but Charlotte could see Chiwu just fine, and as far as Scarlett knew, she hadn't almost died.

Natalie was slowly pacing around, looking around at the island. To the left of her sight was the Achievement Center, an area where Sara had her elemental towers surrounded by flowers and statues placed down. There was only the GB10 statue and the elemental towers. The far right was Fusion Island; where fusion monsters and the Fusion Hexagram itself stayed. Scarlett eventually decided to approach her.

"Hello, Natalie." She said in her usual calm, blank voice. Natalie turned to her, not expecting to see someone approaching her already.

"Oh. Hello." Natalie responded. "I take it you are a Charlotte?" Scarlett nodded, but explained that she was called Scarlett because of the other Charlotte on the island. As if on cue, Charlotte bounced up towards the two.

"Hi!" She chirped. "I'm Charlotte! Oooh! You must have already met Scarlett!" Scarlett closed her eyes while Charlotte eagerly chattered with Natalie. Her head throbbed again as Charlotte kept her voice raised. Natalie seemed to notice.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Charlotte, but Scarlett and I have to do some training together." Natalie quickly shut her down. Charlotte understood.

"Okay! Let me show you to the town in Garen Forest; where Scarlett will meet up with Lanett to train!" Charlotte bounced off to the Energy Gateway. Scarlett followed her, next to Natalie.

"Thank you for that…" Scarlett sighed, breathing as she could actually calm down. Natalie smiled at her behind the mask.

"Although I am an assassin, I strictly follow the Sis Code." Natalie listed off Rule 1 of the Code: A Sis in need is a Sis indeed. "You looked like you needed help." That was the deciding factor for Scarlett. Natalie was going to, at the very least, be a close friend of hers, if not a best friend.

Before Scarlett knew it, they were at the town in Garen Forest once more. It was earlier in the morning, and the town was quieter than when she first woke up. She quite liked the town, honestly; it had gotten to the point where she was close to considering it a second home. Hwahee happened to be outside for a two minute break; upon seeing them she smiled at the two.

The fire Sky Dancer, unrelated to Chasun and Yeon, ran one of the many restaurants there; although, in Scarlett's opinion, she undoubtedly had the best food in the whole town. Lanett once took her there to celebrate a good training session. Though she never said it, the hot and sour soup that Hwahee made had become her favorite food. Ever since then, after training, Lanett would take her out to lunch at Hwahee's restaurant, which gave her chances to bond with the three. As of that day, they were what Scarlett would almost consider friends. No, that was silly. Someone like her couldn't have friends.

"Well, hello, Scarlett!" Hwahee smiled at her. She tipped her red hat up with one hand, the other holding a similar-colored fan. A large ribbon was tied up into a bow at the back of her hat, the ends flowing down to the skirt of her dress. Like Yeon's, it was puffed up and made with silky material, but the dress was many shades of red instead of white, pink and purple.

"I see you've brought a friend with you." It was a hot, summer day, and Hwahee started fanning herself. Her braid was thin and long; twice as long as Yeon's. Hwahee was beautiful, Scarlett mused; she'd be lucky if she looked half as pretty as her in one of her dreams. None of this escaped her head, of course.

"Yes. Her name is Natalie. Sara got her in this month's Hall of Heroes." Scarlett introduced her. Natalie bowed, ponytail gently sliding down to one side of her head.

"Greetings, Madam Hwahee." She said. Hwahee smiled at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Nat!" She chirped, before changing the subject.

"Anyway, I believe the two of you are off to meet up with Lanett and train? It _is_ that time of day, after all!" Scarlett nodded. Hwahee knew her too well, she thought to herself.

"Aighty, then! Sorry to keep ya both waiting!" Hwahee entered her restaurant at this point. It was like those buildings during the 1880s in the human world; the restaurant was at one floor and Hwahee's apartment was on the second floor. Scarlett took no note of it, though, and instead kept on walking to where she and Lanett always met up.

The woman had been waiting for her, as always. When her red eyes caught a glimpse of the two girls, she smiled, loosening the grip on her sword. Like always, it glowed with fierce power, darkness swirling across the blade. Though her sword was menacing, Lanett herself was kind. Lanett studied them both for a second, taking in their features; Scarlett's blank expression and Natalie's strict, stern expression reflecting on her eyes.

"Hello, Scarlett." Lanett cooed. "I have already heard about Natalie, so there is no need to introduce her to me."

"I have heard much about you, Lanett." Natalie said to her. "I have heard of how you train monsters, and I believe I am standing next to one of your students right now, even."

"Yes, Scarlett and I have trained for quite some time. Today, though, the three of us will be going to Aiden Forest to train." Lanett explained how Scarlett had advanced by leaps and bounds, and Natalie, from what she had seen, was already skilled with the blade. She had decided that it would be best if they were to train in Aiden Forest from now on.

Scarlett's mind flashed back to her death, how she had fallen into the lake and drowned, and was left without memory of what happened after that. Natalie sensed something was wrong, but didn't question it. She would open up when she chose to, she thought to herself. With that, it seemed to be decided – they were to enter Aiden Forest now.

It seemed to always be nighttime in Aiden Forest, no matter what time of day it was everywhere else. The twisted, gnarled corpses of what were once trees loomed above their heads, black branches akin to something that looked like claws. Scarlett's mind flashed back to painful memories of her past, no matter how hard she tried to forget. She hated Enigma, just as much as he hated her. She could never tell Natalie and Lanett, though. They didn't need to know. They continued on to the depths of the forest, fighting off the Monster Flowers, Forest Keepers, Grim Reapers and whatnot that roamed the forest, looking for monsters to attack.

Natalie leaped up into the air, dagger in hand as she aimed for a Hemos. She came soaring down onto him, driving the dagger into his empty eye socket. The skeleton underneath his blue robes crumbled away into dust, menacing scythe falling onto the sea blue cloth. At that moment, all other monsters in the area couldn't speak or attack any stronger than the pure basics. They had been Silenced. Lanett smiled as the Assassin returned to their side.

"Impressive." She complimented. The three of them went on, until they came to a clearing. Scarlett looked around. It was empty for miles around. At the middle, the full moon shone, reflected by the lake. She remembered this area. It was the place where she drowned, and lost all memory of what happened to her afterward up until her summoning. Only now did Lanett finally notice.

"You seem…troubled, Scarlett." She said. "Is something bothering you?" For a brief moment, Scarlett wanted to tell, but as she wanted to, the familiar crashing of dead trees filled their ears. She knew what was coming – more specifically, _who_.

Just as expected, the Death Knight, Fedora, appeared. He scanned the area, immediately noticing Lanett, Natalie and Scarlett. For a second, a flash of emotion appeared on Scarlett's face – pure, unbridled rage. She hated Fedora; she blamed him for her death and wanted to see him suffer. At that very moment, she wanted to snap, to dash forward and get revenge for what he did to her, for making her drown without attempting to save her. Just as quick as it appeared, her rage died down and she was left empty inside as always.

"Intruders;" Fedora growled to himself, "two new ones and a familiar one."

"Hello to you too, Fedora." Scarlett stared down at her shoes, not wanting to give him the respect of looking him where his eyes should be. Lanett seemed fairly surprised that she knew him personally.

"I thought I told you we do not take kindly to visitors." Fedora told her. Her eyes closed as she focused on her breathing. She did not respond to him, instead talking to her team members.

"I wonder if Natalie can take down Fedora." Scarlett smiled a little. This was the revenge she wanted. It was time to get payback. Natalie dashed forward in a flash, dagger in hand. Fedora could not dodge the attack, and, just like that, she had broken his defense.

 _Help Me, Teddy._

The teddy bear in Scarlett's hand was brought to life, and she threw him at the Death Knight. It giggled cutely, before the façade was dropped. A menacing snarl tore its way out of his plush throat as its mouth opened wide, showing rows of shining, razor-like teeth. It ripped at Fedora, tearing off pieces of his hood and biting down on vulnerable areas. Poison flowed out of its teeth and into Fedora's bloodstream. He blacked out, drifting off into a poison-induced sleep.

 _I have no time for mercy._

Lanett attacked next; firing four bullets of darkness at him. With his defense broken, the damage was massive, but snapped him out of his sleep. Scarlett was invigorated, though, and went for another attack. A doll appeared above her, shaped into a knight. It flew down in front of him, swinging the hand with the sword in it in a clockwise motion. Like the last attack, it landed, but the stun or the slow-down didn't land.

Fedora drew back and shouted a battle cry, and the defense break was gone from him all of a sudden, replaced by Immunity and Endure. These puny little invaders weren't going to take him down so soon. This surprised the three, and that was all he needed to attack. Check for Natalie's weakness, and then destroy her. He swung his mace twice, the first hit landing on her stomach and the second at the side of her head. She fell to the ground, and struggled to get up for just a moment, but was back up on her feet before she knew it.

"Your death will be silent, Fedora…!" She snarled, leaping up into the air. Though he had Endure on, he was still at low HP, and she was going to get rid of this Death Knight one way or another. The three attacked nonstop, Fedora returning attacks, until an opportunity presented itself to Scarlett. His Endure buff was gone, and he was open to an attack. Hatred burned through her, and at that moment, she knew it was time to get revenge.

 _Wind Guardian Angel._

Her guardian angel was finally here. Its arms opened, as did its wings, and the wind changed, swirling around Fedora. She hated Fedora. She would be glad to see him die. He wronged her. _Enigma_ wronged her. She wanted to kill them both for what they did to her.

No, kill Enigma. If he hadn't gotten rid of her, she wouldn't have died. Kill Enigma… By the time she snapped out of this disturbing train of thought her guardian angel was gone and Fedora was, too. The battle was finally over and Scarlett was a psychopath.

Half an hour later they were all at Hwahee's restaurant, sitting next to each other at a bar – minus the alcohol. Scarlett stared down at her reflection in her hot and sour soup, unable to eat; just thinking about the intense grudge she held against Enigma, after ages of telling herself she would let go and move on. Lanett seemed to notice, and turned to her.

"I don't know what happened in your past to make you harbor such a hatred against Fedora, but it doesn't have to control you." She said.

"Your past only makes up part of who you are. The rest is up to you. You can choose to spend the rest of your life resenting those who wronged you, or you can choose to love those who are kind, caring…your friends." Scarlett thought about it for a moment, closing her eyes.

"…Thanks, Lanett." She said blankly. "That really helps."

"Anytime." Lanett smiled at her. _Spend the rest of your life loving your friends…_ Scarlett thought to herself. _In that case, Lanett would be the first of those I love in my new life._


	5. Chapter 4 - Double Charlotte Teams?

_I six-starred Megan yesterday (well, it was yesterday as I write this) She's my seventh six-star, and is part of my currently unstable DB10 team. I might make Megan a character in Silence of Scarlett, as I feel like the character I have for her would be a pretty good one._

 _I think the problem with my DB10 team is the runes. I mean, I've got all the monsters needed for a stable DB10 face team: Verdehile (Leader), Megan, Veromos, Sigmarus and Belladeon. The problem is that sometimes, during the Zaiross stage, one of my monsters will die, in which case I have to quit. Other times, I make it up to the dragon, and get completely wiped out when my monsters have him at 10% HP._

 _With the Zaiross death, the monster that most often dies is Sigmarus. I've swapped his Blade runes for Guard, and I hope it helps._

 _Oh yeah; I also have two things: A new Arena Offense (Megan, Frigate, Charlotte and Lushen) and a cold. Yay for the cold. /s_

* * *

 **Summary:** After weeks of training, Scarlett's now finally added into her Summoner's teams.

* * *

 **Chapter 4  
Double Charlotte Teams?**

When Scarlett woke up that morning she didn't expect to hear that she was now officially finished being "built" When a monster is first summoned, their Summoner will build up their power and runes until they're optimal for use in wherever the Summoner chooses.

Scarlett had woken up to hear chatter in the other room. She soon recognized the three voices: belonging to Sara, Verdehile and Charlotte. Did they know she was awake? No, that was impossible. Scarlett listened in to try and figure out what they were talking about.

" – all I have to do is get one more rune to +12 and Scarlett will officially be ready for use!" Sara said to her monsters, jolting Scarlett awake like a bucket of ice water. She had heard much talk about her almost ready to be used in places, but there were always at least three "when"s attached to them. Scarlett will be ready when she's maxed out, Scarlett will be ready when she's six-starred, Scarlett will be ready when she has her guardian angel...The list went on and on. She never expected it to actually happen soon.

"At least I don't have any teams with the girl." Verdehile huffed. "I don't want to deal with having to put up with trying to protect her from being destroyed by Zaiross or the Ancient Dragon." The vampire was most used in B10 of the Dragon's Lair, a fire dungeon – wind's weakness.

"You forget, my dear Verde, that you're still used in Trial of Ascension." Sara reminded. Scarlett would bet that Verdehile rolled his eyes.

"One Charlotte is enough for me."

"Hey, Charlotte is best gurl, alright?" She could hear Charlotte giggle at the compliment.

Scarlett sat up, staring down at her wrists as her mind drifted off into her thoughts. On the left wrist was the symbol for Fatal Runes; on the right wrist Blade. I'll officially be ready for use soon. She thought to herself. Weeks of being here yet my memory of what happened is still foggy...

She still knew very little, apart from a few memories here and there and what Chiwu has told her. She remembered a Fairy with blue eyes, but wasn't a water element, along with the name "Lady Arang" There have been false memories, and each time Chiwu told her they were fake she was just left even more confused than before.

"I wouldn't ever lie to you," Chiwu told her when she asked if he was being truthful. He smiled kindly at her, gently gripping both of her hands. It felt like a breeze swirling around them, and not like a physical body, "we're friends, remember?"

"...Yes." She had responded with. "I remember a little bit."

Scarlett snapped out of it when the door creaked open and Charlotte's voice cut into her thoughts. "O-oh, I'm sorry...Did we wake you up?" She looked up to see the face of her doppelganger smiling a little at her.

"No, it's fine." She said. "I was already awake to begin with."

"Did you hear?" Charlotte changed the subject, now significantly more excited than before. "You're almost ready for use!"

As the two went through the morning together, Charlotte explained all the teams that Scarlett was going to be in – which, coincidentally, were all teams that Charlotte was in. Sara called them Double Charlotte Teams, akin to something like a Double Lushen arena offense; she was only lucky enough to have one Lushen, though.

Charlotte walked Scarlett through their schedule: they were going to start the day off by doing ten floors of Trial of Ascension, farm GB10 for two hours or so, and then they were to fight in the Arena. Charlotte had told Scarlett about all the dungeons in the continent of Mystica, including the mysterious building that floated in the sky above Chiruka Remains; the Dimensional Hole.

"People have been saying it's a place where some less used monsters will shine!" Charlotte chirped. It wasn't anything that Scarlett cared about; she just wanted to start the Trial of Ascension and be done with it. Verdehile was left behind in Sara's new Trial of Ascension team; his spot was filled in by Scarlett.

The endless stairs filled her vision, the walls just barely touching the shoulders of the first and last monsters in the team. A feeling of claustrophobia overwhelmed Scarlett, but she kept it to herself. Charlotte looked around, before smiling. Five monsters stood in front of the team: three of them were water Phantom Thieves and the other two water Taoists. She recognized their names as Luer and Gildong, respectively.

"Ooh! This one's an easy one!" Charlotte chirped. She explained that the "boss" of this round was a Woonsa, two Rahuls and two Icares' by his sides.

The battle started with Charlotte unleashing her guardian angel on the monsters. As the wind swirled around them, they were temporarily slowed down, some of them even lying on the ground, unable to move. Belladeon went next, slicing at a Luer. The normally handsome boy flinched as his defense was weakened.

Veromos fired a blast of darkness at Gildong, spreading a poison inside of him that would inflict damage for two turns. Eladriel stabbed at one of the monsters, his turn having arrived. Scarlett was dead last, and like Charlotte, she decided to summon her guardian angel. The wave had almost been cleared out, but one Gildong remained.

In a puff of white smoke, he seemed to disappear. "Destruct Evil!" His voice rang out in the cramped room, before coming down on Scarlett. His robes flew behind him as he drove his staff down and onto his enemy. He hit her four times - once in the stomach, once on the side of her head, and two more at her neck.

She returned with a swift kick in the stomach, knocking the wind right out of him. She then threw her teddy at him, where it sprang to life and giggled before biting down at an exposed area of his skin. Scarlett hoped that its poison would be injected, but nonetheless he was finished off and the team was free to continue to the next stage.

Two girls in white and pink greeted the team. Scarlett immediately recognized them as Yeonhongs, though they were not at all like the Yeon that she knew. The other three monsters were all copies of Charlotte. They were not at all like the Charlotte on their island, though – she was transmogrified to a sleepier appearance. (Though Scarlet would never admit it, she thought Charlotte actually looked cute with her transmogrification and Lovely Heart Aura)

Charlotte got the first turn, once more attacking all enemies with Wind Guardian Angel. When everyone's turns were finally up, quite a bit of damage had been done, but not enough. There were still two Charlottes standing, along with a Yeonhong. The Sky Dancer lifted her fan into the air, calling out in a singsong voice.

"Charge Vitality!" The Charlotte with the lowest HP was healed and had her attack bar filled up, allowing her to go next. Thankfully, she just went for Toy Knight and not Wind Guardian Angel. They weren't so lucky with the other one, though; she used Help Me Teddy, which connected to a Wind Guardian Angel attack.

Memories suddenly flashed before her eyes. She remembered holding onto Chiwu's hand, watching as a new Summoner entered the Trial of Ascension for the first time. Her eyes were full of wonder and hope, her team obviously new. It was...adorable, really, to see such an innocent soul. The flashback ended and she was back in reality.

They were finally gone after what felt like hours, and what was next was Woonsa. The battle lasted for an hour, but the team would all agree that it was worth it. GB10 was over in a flash, and it was time to fight in the Arena...


	6. Chapter 5 - My Guardian Angel Chiwu

_HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE OUT THEEEERE – excuse me for that, I'm just very hyped because heck yeah turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce; today is my favorite holiday next to Halloween, my birthday, and Christmas._

 _Off-topic but Silence of Scarlett is almost finished! We've just got this chapter, Chapter 6, and the epilogue after that, and the epilogue's already finished! I'm also working on a bunch of other fanfics, such as the Miitopia fic, two more SW fics, etc, so you've got a lot to look forward to!_

 _I apologize for not updating this in forever; I got writer's block._

* * *

 **Chapter 5  
My Guardian Angel Chiwu**

"Alright, you two," Sara had instructed earlier that day. "I have some things I need the both of you to do. Charlotte, we're going to need at least a refill's worth of Aiden Forest runs, I just got Atenai, so that's your task. As for you, Scarlett, I need Shiny Mythril for my DB10 statue, which you can find in Mt. Runar or Mt. White Ragon. I read that floor 4 of Mt. Runar has a higher chance of dropping some, though."

The two Occult Girls set off on their different paths. Charlotte was bringing a fire Undine with her. As the two passed, Atenai turned to Scarlett to examine her. She must have looked strange to Atenai – she was a dead-eyed Occult Girl whose hair was down and walked like she was going to her execution. The girl of the exact same element that was with Atenai bounced with a spring in her step and her hair tied up into pigtails.

Then again, Scarlett could have said the same for Atenai; she had never seen an Undine before, so the reddish creature without a mouth that floated behind Charlotte was bizarre, to say the least. That wasn't what mattered at the moment, though. She needed to run an errand for her new Summoner, and though the only time she had seen her angry was when she had been obliterated at Guild Wars without even getting a turn; Scarlett was afraid of what would happen if she said no.

Scarlett liked to believe that she was doing better now. It had been a little over a two months since her summoning, and she was actually growing to like her new home. Sure, she still had trouble bonding with the other monsters, but she got the job done in the teams that she was in; that was a victory in her book. She had rarely gotten anything done back at…

No.

It's time to stop thinking about Enigma, she thought to herself, shaking her head. In the meantime, there was some Shiny Mythril that she had to get. The Achievement Center was looking kind of lonely, with just the Elemental Towers in the corner along with the GB10 statue in the middle. By the time she was done, there would be two new statues – One for the Hall of Magic and one for DB10.

She stepped through the swirling blue portal, letting the light engulf her, before she stood in front of multiple doors. Each door represented an area in Mystica, including Faimon Volcano, and the Caiross Dungeon (where you'd be greeted with even more doors if you were to enter that). She stepped forward, ignoring the Aiden Forest door, for there would be too many bad memories if she were to dwell on that for any longer than a second.

Mt. Runar greeted her as kindly as a slap in the face from Enigma. The cave was dark and damp, pools of water growing beneath Scarlett's feet – why it was called _Mt._ Runar when it was really more of a cave was beyond her. She remembered how Charlotte once said that she was afraid of the place. Charlotte then told her the story of a Dragon contaminated by a parasite that lived at the heart of Mt. Runar, spreading his disease to anyone who lost the battle against him.

As she walked, the puddles splashed and jumped upon the impact of her feet reaching it, sending tiny ripples throughout the cold water. Everything was cold, really. The air stung her cheeks and the chill from the ground seeped into her dress; for a wind element she was very affected by the water and cold for some reason.

Almost as cold as the lake in Aiden Forest.

Scarlett felt something; it was almost what you would call disgust. She was "disgusted" with herself for thinking back to that day. She promised herself, over and over again, she would finally move on, to spare herself from the emotional anguish. Why couldn't she, though? Maybe she really was as useless as Enigma said she was. Maybe he was justified in getting rid of her. She snapped herself out of that bad place again.

A row of Slimes greeted her, waiting to finish off the intruder in their territory. Most were a dark red, but others were a bright yellow. Scarlett clutched onto her teddy, which Charlotte had given to her, saying that it harnessed the power of spirits, which could be channeled to attack. She decided to use her toy knight. It materialized from thin air and leaped down at her enemies, swinging at them all.

She took attack after attack, returning with attacks with her own toys, until the Slimes dissolved into liquid again and flowed through the cracks on the stone floor. Scarlett was left alone once more, guided only by the soft, almost extraterrestrial blue light that shone down from the ceiling. She continued deeper into the cave, in search of the pure white crystals that looked very much like the Mana Crystal. Scarlett liked it here. It gave her time to think.

 _My counterpart, Charlotte, is afraid of the dark. She's scared of the demons that lurk there._ Scarlett said to herself. _How silly it is to fear darkness._

 _If anything, she should be afraid of the demons that hide in the light._

The darkness of the cave consumed everything, surrounding her and everything else. The light that came from the ceiling was gone, and she was left to fend for herself. Scarlett kept on walking, though, knowing that, at the heart of the cave, there would be an exit, and there she would be able to find the Shiny Mythril.

Sure enough, a light at the end of the tunnel greeted her, far away, nothing but a tiny pinprick, as if it were a star. She continued on towards it before she could spiral into another depressing train of thought. Bits and pieces of who she once was had been beginning to come back to her, and she could just barely feel emotions again. Scarlett missed Chiwu all of a sudden.

The boss of that stage greeted her; a water-element Sandman, its lackeys being Slimes of a similar color to the Sandman itself. Scarlett felt no fear for her life; just a vacant gap where her emotions should be. That was what was worrying about her. She wasn't afraid to die. Sometimes she even seemed more than willing to. That didn't matter, though. What did matter was the Shiny Mythril.

 _Help Me, Teddy._

The teddy in her hand sprang to life once more and jumped at the biggest of the monsters, the Sandman; it was as tall as Scarlett, if not a few inches taller. Scarlett smiled just barely as the Sandman drifted off into a world of unconsciousness; now it was the monster that had been put to sleep, oh how the tables have turned.

Everyone had been slowed down by the surprise of seeing the Sandman asleep, and Scarlett stole the opportunity to attack again. Her teddy wasn't able to put one of the Slimes to sleep this time, and then they attacked her. She drew back, flinching at the hit, but quickly recovered and returned with her own attack.

Suddenly she was in a memory she had blocked out, new but familiar moments flashing before her eyes. She could see Chiwu all of a sudden, but Scarlett was not in Mt. Runar anymore. No, they were in the entrance of the cave. The two of them were staring into the gap, both silent for what felt like ages. The gleam of the crystals growing on the walls of the cave reflected on their eyes.

"… _What does it feel like to love?" Scarlett asked. Chiwu smiled gently as a patient memory came back to him, when he first loved. It was a beautiful woman, Megan, but she was gone before he knew it; summoned to another island._

" _It's…a warm feeling; the person you love making you feel happy, and you want to spend the rest of your life with them." He tried to explain the best he could. It seemed to work for Scarlett._

" _In that case, I think I love you." Chiwu turned to her, and she too was smiling. It was a real smile; honest and kind. He found himself holding onto Scarlett's hand, and eventually she was holding his. Their fingers wrapped together in a warm embrace; and Scarlett didn't want to let go._

"… _Promise me we'll find a way to stay friends, no matter what happens?" Chiwu finally asked, breaking the silence._

" _Of course. But on only one condition." Scarlett responded with. "We'll stay more than friends."_

" _I'd love to." Before he knew it, Chiwu found himself kissing her softly. Scarlett reciprocated the gestures; her heart beating madly in her ribcage, as if trying to break out. Finally they broke away for air, smiling at each other._

"… _I love you, Scarlett."_

" _I love you too, Chiwu."_

She was back in reality again, falling to the ground. The enemies were just mindlessly attacking, leaping onto her to try and suffocate her. Sand particles were thrown onto her face, and try as she might to keep her eyes open, she found herself drifting off again, where she'd be open to attacks. No, she wasn't going to go down that easily; not yet, not ever.

 _Wind Guardian Angel._

Suddenly there was wind in the cave; the air used to be so still and cold, but now Scarlett's hair was whipped back and forth. Rocks were torn from the cave's walls and thrown roughly onto all of her enemies by the wind, slowing them down. Scarlett was woken up by the feeling of a gentle breeze on her right hand. She opened her eyes, and her irises locked with Chiwu's as he tried to hold her hand, but being from another dimension, he simply passed through her. She was helped back up to her feet, and the two just stood there, smiling softly at the sight of each other, taking in each other's features.

"…I remembered something earlier." Scarlett said.

"What did you remember?" Scarlett smiled at his question; the happiness trickling into her heart the first real emotion she had felt since fighting Fedora.

"Would this help you?" She kissed him the best she could, and after a stunned moment of silence, he kissed her back. Though she couldn't feel it for real, it still felt just as good as the first time she had kissed Chiwu. They broke away, just the same as the last time, and they smiled. Scarlett wanted to dwell in this moment forever, just smiling with her lover. But it couldn't last for nearly as long as Scarlett wanted; she had to return to the island with her Shiny Mythril.

That didn't matter to either of them, though.

For the first time since waking up in her new life, Scarlett felt peaceful once again.

It would not last, though.


	7. Chapter 6 - Battle My Past Life

_mrrrrrf i frickin ship scarlett and chiwu now they're so adorable together oh my gosh aaaaaaaa_

 _ANYWAY, this is the final chapter of Silence of Scarlett that I need to write. After that, I can work on To Be a Summoner, Believe in Mii, and a new LaTale fanfic, called Dream of a Tale!_

* * *

 **Chapter Six  
Battle My Past Life**

Scarlett had to remind herself to breathe, that this was really happening. No, _no,_ it couldn't be; it was just another nightmare. She tried to force herself to wake up, but this was reality, and she had just come, face-to-face, with Enigma again, this time in the Arena. His red eyes glowed with hatred just as she remembered, and he looked not at all pleased to see her.

"Hello, _Charlotte._ " He snarled at her.

"…My name is Scarlett now, Enigma." She responded blankly. Charlotte, who was by her side; looked afraid at the sight of Enigma; Scarlett couldn't blame her. To this day even she felt a flicker of fear whenever she saw his pale face, contrasted by his dark and grey hair and red eyes.

It was pure chance; it _had_ to have been pure chance. That could be the only thing that brought Enigma to her new home for an Arena fight. As her Summoner, Sara, stared down at his arena team and muttered "I have made a _huge_ mistake," Scarlett could certainly agree. Both teams had gotten better over time, much to both Scarlett's joy and dismay.

Sara had six-starred her Lushen, and sped up her Frigate to 260 Speed.

Enigma had gotten Alicia and Psamathe.

There was no chance of winning this battle. Sara's arena team was Double Charlotte; consisting of Frigate, Megan, Charlotte, and Scarlett. Enigma's team had Psamathe, Alicia, Bernard, and Lushen. Of course, Enigma most likely had far better runes than Sara did. Scarlett just barely remembered Lushen, back on Enigma's island, but he wasn't like the Lushen on Sara's island.

On her island, he was the same age as Charlotte – most likely about ten or so – but learned Amputation Magic early. He was fun to be around, always cracking jokes and making people smile; especially Charlotte. The two of them had been dating (or at least, the child's version of going on dates) and it seemed like he genuinely liked her. This Lushen was different. He was meaner; more focused on killing everything with Amputation Magic.

"Now then, opponent, you've caught me in a good mood today, so I'm willing to make a bet." Enigma said, staring Sara directly in the eye. He felt arrogant, so he couldn't help but decide to make one, "If you win, then I'll give up this Alicia and Psamathe; and you can decide where they'll go to."

"And if you win?" Sara responded, curious more than anything now. This was the first time she had been in a bet; she remembered how her friend bet her Grego and her opponent his Ganymede. Surprisingly, her friend won. Enigma's face curled into a wicked smile.

"You've got a nice island; amazing monsters _you don't deserve._ So, if I win, I'll take the monsters I want." Sara thought for a moment. On one hand, she could possibly lose her Frigate, Eladriel, Charlotte, and so on and so forth – and there was a good chance she'd lose, but on the other, if she won, that "nysra" she saw on the Summoner's War subreddit would finally get an Alicia; not to mention that it would be nice to have a Psamathe…

"You're on, mate."

With that, it was time to fight.

The Arena watched in hushed awe and fear, the evil hovering around Enigma you could practically see and feel. There was something wrong with Enigma; he was a horrible Summoner, but no one would dare to say such a thing if the shine in his eyes meant anything. He intimidated everyone around him, including his opponent, a much younger and more inexperienced Summoner.

The two opponents were polar opposites; the girl with the Frigate nervous, if not a bit excited to see if she could win this battle. The look on her face showed that she had only hit this rank (Fighter 2) a few times, and she didn't want to lose it. The boy with Alicia and Psamathe had a murderous gleam in his eyes. He hated the Charlotte he saw; he must have had a bad past with the Occult Girl.

Bernard jumped in before any of Sara's team could go; and with a piercing caw, a Tailwind appeared and sped everyone up. It wasn't fast enough, though, even with the attack bar boost. The dark Pirate Captain; wearing nothing but a baseball cap and shorts and gripping a guitar, managed to cut in at the last second in order to speed all of his teammates up.

He grinned as he activated his third skill. Everyone could feel what felt like electricity in their veins as energy surged through them; the addicting adrenaline rush that made them all want to go fast. As they went Full Speed Ahead, Megan casted a Spell of Strengthening, also speeding up everyone before increasing their defense and attack power. Charlotte sleepily clutched onto her teddy, silently calling for Eladriel.

Her guardian angel flew up into the air, a wind storm kicking up on all of Enigma's team. She was the stunner of the team; Scarlett the damage dealer. Together, the two of them were like yin and yang. Only Alicia was on Will runes, so she was the only one unaffected by the attack bar pushback or the stuns caused by her guardian angel summoning. Everyone else, however, laid on the ground, unable to get their turn; both stunned and their attack bars reset.

Charlotte was on Despair runes, Scarlett on Fatal. Scarlett was purposely made a bit slower than Charlotte to go after her; this way when her enemies were slowed down and/or stunned, she would be able to ultimately destroy them. She felt her heart pounding in her ribcage, struggling to break out. Was this what fear felt like? The look on Enigma's face could surely bring fear to anyone. Still, she didn't hesitate, instead calling for her guardian angel. She didn't want to lose any of her island teammates – perhaps she could even call them friends.

Bernard was gone, that much was obvious before the first hit was even landed. Alicia was holding on, just barely, though, and Psamathe coughed out a dark red blood before dropping to his knees. The Fairy King's vision was wavering and doubling, he could hardly see two feet in front of him. His head spun, the sudden loss of blood only worsening his lightheadedness. The thought of being let go and possibly sent to an island that didn't deserve him was the only thing that was keeping him going.

He had a secret weapon up his sleeve though; at the brink of death, he'd be filled with rage for his enemies. That rage would make him hold on to spite them, and when they're caught off-guard, let them all be struck with a massive bolt of energy. It was this surprise attack that let Psamathe turn the tables in most of the battles he'd fought in before. He would _not_ let himself lose.

Lushen woke up, snapping out of the stun, but found himself drifting back to that place again as Frigate called for a Bombardment. At this rate, Sara's team would surely win, but Enigma wasn't going to let that happen. Alicia felt herself being stared at, and she knew that Enigma was glaring her, silently demanding her to let loose a Frost Rush _or else._

She knew what would happen if she didn't do what Enigma told her to do, and with a flick of her wrist, the arena suddenly grew an almost freezing cold. Her blue robes were licked in the hyperborean winds; the only one not affected by the cold was her. A hailstorm brewed above both teams in an instant, and everyone knew what was coming.

The cold whipped the pigtails of both Occult Girls back and forth, hailstones pelting down on all four teammates. It was perhaps the worst cold that Scarlett had ever felt, rivaled only by that cursed lake in Aiden Forest. She shivered as memories flashed before her eyes. _Running, pain…so much pain…falling, sinking, can't breathe, drowning, I'm drowning, it hurts, now it's peaceful, eyes closing, I say my goodbyes, and now I'm waking up…_

She could hear Frigate curse to the left of her. She turned towards the rock star Pirate Captain as the arena warmed back up to the early summer temperature she remembered. He fell to the ground, letting his guitar fall; having been knocked unconscious by that storm. Everyone on Sara's side was surprised, and Alicia stole that opportunity to blast another attack at them.

Though the Frost Rush faded away, a Storm of the Midnight was cast on them all. _There goes Charlotte,_ Scarlett thought to herself. The sleepy little girl sniffled and tumbled backwards, still clutching onto her teddy as her eyes closed. That's two out of four down on Scarlett's side, and only one out of four on Enigma's side. Enigma looked quite pleased with himself, while Sara was utterly terrified.

Megan opened a tattered, dog-eared book, uttering an incantation from it and waving her staff in the air. A pentagram that was glowing a bright blue appeared in front of her and from the center a black crow came from. It soared down, its razor sharp beak digging into Alicia's wounds. That was it; Alicia was out of the arena, unable to continue any longer. Pure rage burned across Enigma's face. He was determined, more than ever, to kill Scarlett.

" _Get up._ " He snarled at Lushen. The Joker did so, after a minute of trying, obviously in no shape to fight. For a moment, Scarlett felt a twinge of pity towards him. He used to be nice to her, back before he became one of Enigma's favorites. Then he had become more like his Summoner.

Scarlett summoned her Toy Knight to protect what was left of her team. She clutched onto her umbrella and jumped into the air as a metal knight, about as tall as Psamathe, appeared. Its arm holding a sword swung around, the sword gleaming in the light of the arena. The crowd went wild as the illusion of the knight faded away. The two remaining monsters were dead, and Sara had won, earning herself two amazing natural five-stars.

Or had she?

 _Rageful Return._

Psamathe heard his surroundings fading away as he fell forward, blood seeping into the cracks of the ground. The world sounded muffled, as if he had his head underwater, and suddenly he found himself in the elemental realm again. Rage burned inside of him, and he was not going to fail that easily. _Not today._ His eyes snapped open, burning a bright blue, and he stood up, wings twitching with a mysterious emotion that consumed him.

One bare, muscled arm lifted into the air, and both Megan and Scarlett felt their hearts and their stomachs drop. An invisible energy swirled around them both, and then the pain started. It tore them apart inside, dealing more damage than they had ever felt before. When his attack finally ended, Megan was falling to the ground, unconscious before the attack even ended, and Scarlett was just barely holding onto life.

Enigma smirked at her, as if saying "No matter what island you live on, you'll always be worthless." Both of her skills that dealt the most damage still had a cooltime stuck to them, meaning she only had her teddy to save her now. Sara looked horrified once more, and she was apologizing to her team; saying she was sorry that she had agreed to this, and now she going to lose them. This was it. This was the end for Scarlett –

 _Don't give up._

Scarlett recognized that voice; as it was her lover, Chiwu. She knew that he was with her now, cheering her on. She could see him; standing to the left of her, and he could see her, on her knees and pressing one hand on a wound to try and stop the bleeding. He loved her dearly, and he couldn't bear to see her like that, already accepting her fate, when he knew that she could put the odds in Sara's favor, once and for all. _I know you'll win against Enigma._ _The time for weakness is over. You will win._

 _Stand up to him._

 _Show him how much you're really worth._

"Help Me, Teddy!" Scarlett shrieked all of a sudden, not caring if the headache that was coming throbbed or burned. She needed to win this, and she needed to win it now. Her teddy jumped up and giggled at Psamathe, before snarling and biting down hard. Psamathe found himself drifting off to sleep, and Enigma was so filled with disgust that he couldn't do anything. Scarlett found the strength to stand up, and she was smiling all of a sudden. She needed Teddy to put Psamathe to sleep again before she could finish him off.

As her teddy bit down on Psamathe again, the moment, though it was most likely only a second, felt like years for Scarlett. What if it failed and he woke up from that attack? No, she couldn't focus on that. She had been negative for too long, and now she was going to hope for the best. Scarlett let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in when Psamathe didn't wake up. He had been put to sleep again, but it would take her and Chiwu's most powerful attack together to win this battle in the Sky Arena.

 _I love you, Chiwu._

 _I love you too, Scarlett._

"Wind Guardian Angel!" The winds changed again, and her guardian angel appeared, ready to protect Scarlett. Each attack on Psamathe was more powerful than the last, but ultimately Scarlett did the finishing hit with one more attack from her teddy. The crowd's screams was what finally broke her, and she felt herself weakening, her head pounding as she fell to the ground, just like her other three teammates. The sound of her heart pounding in her ears and the crowd cheering wasn't enough to drown out the sound of Enigma, though.

"I never wanted you, anyway."


	8. Epilogue - Who We Really Are

_Well, we've finally reached the end, guys. This is the end of Silence of Scarlett; wrapping things up once and for all. It's been a long ride, and now I have Believe in Mii and Dream of a Tale to work on._

* * *

 **Epilogue  
Who We Really Are**

Scarlett woke up in her room in the Arena Defense Tower, silent as ever. She was still recovering from the battle against Enigma and his new team, the events playing in her head over and over again. She remembered the last words that Enigma said to her before they left the Arena:

 _I never wanted you anyway._

At first, they stung the wounds she thought had recovered. Scarlett had told herself, over and over again, she would move on from Enigma; her days with him were since over, but when she came face-to-face with him and his improved team, she realized how much she hurt him without even meaning to.

That morning, though, she listened to the thoughts in her mind, replaying the sentence, over and over again. After a while, she smiled slightly. The sting was fading away, and was replaced by a comforted, calm feeling. She thought she was abandoned because Enigma used to like her, but eventually she became so bad he would rather let her die than suffer through her horrible habits.

In a strange way, his cruel words comforted her. It wasn't because of something she did; it was just who he was. She saw the way he treated his monsters when they didn't do something to his liking, abusive and angry. She remembered how he slapped Verdehile for using Noble Agreement and shoved Praha into a wall when she failed to get rid of the enemy's buffs.

Sometimes he would hurt her too. The scar on her back never faded away, from when she had cut herself on the rocks of the island as he held her over the island's edge, threatening to throw her off if she screwed up one more time. She remembered how she cried, but somehow recovered and became as bubbly as always. How hadn't she seen it before? He apologized after, saying he would never do it again, and she forgave him. She shouldn't have, but he seemed charming at the time, like he really cared for her.

 _With rose glasses on, red flags just look like flags;_ she told herself, reassuring that it wasn't her fault. She just loved her old home too much – how could she still call that place her home? Her new home was better, though. Sure, it didn't have the same experience that Enigma's did, but Sara was far better than he would ever be.

Scarlett turned over in bed, onto her side. She didn't want to get out of bed. Surely the island would be okay if she just stayed in bed for a little while longer, right? She felt calmer than she ever had during her new life. She had finally broke the mental block that made her forget the nice memories with Chiwu, only choosing what she wanted to remember. It wasn't all good, though.

When she first drowned, it was strange to wake up next to the side of the lake. Scarlett could see her body, just barely, at the bottom of the lake, eyes cold and lifeless. The world around her was surrounded by that hazy aura; confusing her and leaving her delirious. In the distance a girl stood, her back turned to Scarlett. Though she was wary to ask for help, as Fedora was still fresh in her mind, she knew that she had to; she was confused and had no idea what was happening to her, and maybe this girl would help.

Scarlett stood up, slowly advancing towards the girl. Her pale blonde hair was tied up into two thin pigtails, each of which held tightly together by what looked like a butterfly. One hand touched somewhere near her hip, the other dangling down, touching the tips of her dress, a similar color to her hair. She remembered this monster from Enigma's island: Neal, the light Fairy. He used her in Trial of Ascension for a few particularly difficult stages. She knew because she was there for those stages.

"Excuse me...Miss Neal...?" She asked once close enough to be heard.

"I need...help...I think I just died..." It sounded insane when she worded it like that, but she prayed it would help.

"...So." Neal responded. Her voice was barely above a whisper; high-pitched and childlike. "You're a new spirit, hmm?"

"Y-yes, and I would appreciate it if -"

"Madame Arang would love your soul." Neal cut her off before she could continue. Scarlett took a step back, and Neal finally turned to face her. That was when she realized something was very wrong with her. Her mouth was curled into a grin could looked like it could have split her skin, but her blue eyes were filled with tears, running down her face.

No, not tears.

Blood.

Scarlett's heart stopped for a moment as she took on Neal's features. The girl laughed maniacally, and more spirits suddenly surrounded Scarlett, all of which crying for release; to move on and stop the searing pain inside of them, shredding them up. Tablo, Ophilia, Hannah, Trevor, she could see all sorts of species of monsters.

"Get away from her." A voice rang out. Unlike the other monsters there, he was not crying blood; she would have mistaken him for someone alive had he not had the same glow the other spirits had. It was Chiwu, the spirit who had saved her countless times since then. They became best friends, lovers even, as he got her away from them.

"They are Malicious Ones;" He explained to Scarlett once she was far enough that they couldn't find them, "lost souls that have been corrupted by Madame Arang." Madame Arang was a half-monster half-human hybrid who died, full of hatred for life, and her spirit did not move on. Eventually, she corrupted monsters' souls and filled them with hatred, too.

Finally, as her memories ended, Scarlett sat up, smiling. It was a real smile, and warmth filled her heart. Once she had been cold and empty, but those days were over. She wanted to talk to the islanders now. The day was new, and she felt like she was a new person, all over again. It was a wondrous feeling.

"I suppose you're not coming out today, Scarlett?" Yeon huffed, standing below her window as always. Scarlett grinned widely as she opened the door. Oh, did she have a surprise for her.

"Actually, Yeon;" She started, "I think I might just!"

The look on her face was something she'd never forget.

* * *

The hot summer day blazed on, but Scarlett actually found it...fun. She and Lyn were playing together, reading aloud a terrible romantic book about a human girl and a vampire, called Twilight and making comments as they went on. Many times Scarlett found herself falling off her seat laughing at how hilariously bad the book was, coupled with the light Amazon's commentary.

" _"You're dangerous?" I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He was dangerous._ Wowie Zowie, Bella! That's some intuition ya got there! It really frys my frenches!" It was at this point Lyn had to temporarily stop reading because of how hard she was laughing.

Scarlett was giggling; the choruses of their laughter pleasant to her ears. Just a week ago she would have never even dreamed of doing something like this. She never got headaches anymore, no matter how loud any of the monsters were. It was nice to just relax and laugh with friends. She had finally moved on.

But not fully.

Sometimes she found herself awake at night, thinking back to her old home. It had been a little over a few months since she had fought _him_ off. Enigma hated all of his monsters except the very best of them all. He would…hurt the lesser monsters. The secondhand pain of all of her friends enduring his abuse hurt Scarlett, and what he said to her hurt even more.

But that's okay.

It wasn't her fault, she could accept that now. Enigma was just a terrible person. Now she was in a loving home, with a nice Summoner, Sara. Sara loved all of her monsters equally. She found good where there was none; and showed kindness when her monsters made a mistake. She would smile, laugh a little, and reassure that it was okay, everyone made mistakes.

Scarlett found comfort in fighting with her friends – she could actually call them something beyond teammates. Charlotte was always eager to give her tips and pointers on anything she wanted, but during quiet moments, she was always there to talk. Scarlett liked her very much. She liked being with Charlotte, sitting on the Surveillance Tower with her as Natalie watched over the island.

Twice a week they would return to the town in Garen Forest just to visit Lanett. Scarlett met her half-sister, Iris. She was kind to Scarlett; never judged her for her past or anything. The four of them would train most of the time, but at other times they would just talk about anything.

Most importantly, Scarlett had made new friends.

She was closest to Atenai, whom she had met that day she was to find Shiny Mythril in Mt. Runar. The two bonded over coming from a less than spectacular home. Surprisingly, she could talk to Atenai through her mind, and there she would hear her voice; soothing and calm. Scarlett remembered all the conversations she and Atenai had together.

Scarlett recounted tales from Enigma's island, and in turn Atenai would tell her about her stories, about a Summoner who neglected all but her natural five stars and only her best four stars. Atenai, not being considered one of the best of the best, was left to fend for herself. It didn't help that her island was cruel to her; they called her a budget Chasun, which, in honesty, she was.

Scarlett was the most relieved, however, to learn that she had gone through the same thing Scarlett had when she died from the neglect. She had been summoned into another island before Sara's. She refused to leave her room sometimes, not having the energy or the will to.

Atenai would get migraines sometimes. When it happened, she said; death sounded like a better option. It took her ages to recover enough to get out of bed more often than not. She liked to believe that she was doing better, but sometimes Atenai would relapse for a day or two.

Maybe she and Atenai would never move on fully.

Scarlett snapped out of her thoughts finally as lightning was spat from the Summoning Circle. Sure, it was an island chunk away, but it was so bright that no matter where you were, you could see it. The only part of her life that didn't have its loose ends tied up into a knot was her lover, Chiwu. She hadn't seen him since battling Enigma. Perhaps he was drained of energy like she had been, and was resting. When she tried to find him the mirror dimension, though, she found nothing; no trace of him.

"Oh, sounds like we've got a new arrival!" Lyn chirped, standing up and closing the book. "Wanna come watch with me?"

"Sure, why not?" Scarlett smiled, standing up with Lyn. The two headed to the Summoning Circle, where Sara stood back, eyes wide. Atenai was watching, too. She clutched a red and silver staff in her hand, a crown of a similar color resting atop her crop of blood-colored hair.

 _Do you have any idea who this one might be?_ Scarlett thought. Atenai perked up, picking up her brain waves. If she had a mouth, she would smile just a little as she responded.

 _No._ Atenai returned with, _but I hope it is my sister Delphoi._ She could hear Atenai, but at the same time all was silent; all in her mind. As the lightning faded away, the silhouette of the monster revealed it was not an Undine, as Atenai and Scarlett grew to hope. No, he looked much shorter, younger, even. Something flew around his head, and Scarlett recognized it as a bird. His color scheme was revealed, and he was a fire Pioneer. Scarlett smiled wide at the sight of her love.

He looked around, confused, and in his eyes Scarlett could see the pain he was experiencing at the sound of Sara flipping out. She made her way over and held out her hand. He looked up at her, and though his eyes were wider than she remembered, they still had that familiar glint in them. A look of remembrance flashed in Chiwu's eyes.

"Welcome back, Chiwu."


End file.
